After four and a half years of research, Fixed Pin Publishing is proud to finally be releasing a new, color, comprehensive, 432-page guidebook to the South Platte. Split into two volumes due to sheer size, the Northern Volume contains nearly 1,600 routes. Of these, the authors personally climbed over 1,500 of them to ensure as accurate beta as possible (the majority of the routes they didn't climbed were on private property and closed to climbing). Chocked full of description photos, GPS locations, and even photos of parking areas and key turns to help ease navigation, this book will end the needless bushwhacking and aimless wandering so many climbers have experienced in the Platte. Advanced copies arrived several weeks ago and the book will hit the shelves of all the local shops in early May.

Visit Fixed Pin's website to see sample pages and to order an advanced copy.

From the sample page: "...if you really want to climb Poe in style, haul some food and a stereo to the party ledge..."

Is this really what guidebook authors should be encouraging these days? I'm all for having a good time, but there's a lot of us out there these days and we'd do well to consider our impact on other people and the crag environment. Being subjected to other folks' ragin' good times isn't why I hike an hour uphill.

How much more of this kind of thing can we expect from this book? That's just from the one visible page. Otherwise, looks like a great book, nice job.

Rob, it was intended as a joke. I did not mean to offend anyone including yourself with it, sorry you didn't take it that way. Have you climbed there? To me, it's hard to imagine anyone slogging anything but the bare essentials up that hill. I pictured a boombox from the '80s, especially with some of the stories from the old guard - like Noel Childs and Olaf Mitchell, partying up there back when the place was "in vogue" and kind of chuckle to myself. I've climbed at Poe dozens of times over the years and have never seen another party there while we were there despite nearly every route being classic. Same goes for pretty much everywhere else in the Platte - the crags are almost always to yourselves (except for Turkey, of course). And to answer your question - that's the only reference like it in the book. Happy climbing.

My buddy Dean and I did Mississipi Half Step on a perfect October day. When we rapped back down to the Sundeck Ledge, we hung out for a while just sitting there with our backs leaning against the wall. We both ended up falling asleep, probably for an hour or so. Then we tr'd the 2nd pitch again.

You would think this would have happened when we did Rip Van Winkle, but alas that was a cold, snowy winter's day, and we just wanted to get the hell off there.

I just took the comment/suggestion as tongue in cheek, as like Jason said, the combination of the hill and the traversing thrash will likely convince a person to leave the boombox (and the dozen 'D' batteries!) in the car.

Thanks, Jason. I have not climbed on the Poe, just the CynPinn and the Sunshine Wall. It is a godawful slog.

Anyhow I'm glad to know that's it for the rave promotion. The whole "my buddies and I party so hard out here with the turkeys and hormones and drugs" thing in a certain other new guidebook kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

Jason, I am honored to have been asked to make a small contribution to this project. I am personally very excited to view the long awaited new guidebook to my favorite climbing area, "The Platte". This should take a lot of pressure off of the handful of popular areas and allow the route hungry masses to spread out and enjoy the abundance of quality established routes the Platte has to offer.

Note: My core group and I hope that as more people explore these areas they will be considerate of the traditional style and values of many of the first ascent parties.

New book is good, but part of the charm of the Platte was getting lost out there. Sad to think of more climbers out there. Pretty selfish I know, but the old guidebooks did a lot to keep people away. I can count the number of times I saw other climbers out there on one hand over the past 10 years (other than Turkey or Bucksnort).

Like Olaf, I am very happy that I could make a small contribution to this much needed guide. I started to write a new guide to the area a number of years ago and quickly came to my senses when I figured out what a project it really was.

Congratulations to Jason and Ben for having the fortitude to stick it out and get it finished.

Buff, there will be a slideshow and book signing - Bent Gate on June 13th, Neptune's June 14th. While the books will be here more than a month before then, we couldn't get an earlier date at either shop. Stay tuned for more details on books and beers!

It would be awesome to know either when online orders might ship or when the book will end up in stores. I'm moving out of state at the end of the month and wouldn't want an online order getting sent somewhere I can't get my hands on it. I'm really excited about the book, keep up the good work!

I had a chance to look at the book over the weekend. It is sooo sexy. Really I can't believe how much is in the first guidebook. Literally stood in the gear shop looked at it for a solid 45 minutes and didn't even break it cover to cover. So stoked to buy it.

Lamont, They almost had 100 slides including that one. Once I caught wind of the GPS location stuff, I pulled out and sadly the guidebook will be forever missing the picture of Jules, a Rainer beer, the South Fork, and what it was all about 20 years ago. I'm not bitter at all, just wishing people still had to stumble around a little to find the climbs, let alone the rock the climb is on. But pictures of parking lots! But it's awfully hard not to thank the guys for all the work! So thanks for all the work, but I wish you hadn't done it. Seriously, Jason, congrats. But the mixed emotions run high (and I know you understand those).